The Impact of Digitization on the Australian Construction Industry
The construction is booming and with the increasing population and increasing urbanization requiring new offices and homes to be constructed, there is no signs shown by the construction industry. Most of the construction industries in Australia are striving very hard to come up with new operational methods and tools in order to increase the efficiency of activities taking place in the construction industry. Digitization of construction industries is helpful and a large number of players in the construction industry today recognize how digitization is affecting every activity in the construction industry. Digitization of the construction meaningfully assist in mitigating the risk and enhancing bankability of infrastructure projects beside improving their viability and asset lifecycle. Digitization offers players in the construction industry means of improving their productivity and they have certain benefits which include;
The construction, architectural, engineering and manufacturing also make use of Computer Aided Design (CAD) which is a technological tool that uses computer to aid creation, adjustment, simulation and optimization of a design and it has various benefits such as speeding up the design cycle, keeping the costs on track, faster acquisition of goods from the market and ensuring accuracy is attained at the highest level (Chua, 2016, p. 441).
The Australian construction industry also makes use of Building Information Modelling (BIM) which is a set of technologies, procedures, and guidelines that together compose a new method of managing the building design and project data in a digital way throughout a building lifecycle. These particular models consist of numerous dimensions of project information and they include 3D, 4D, and 5D. Assessment of the building constructability before carrying out the project is done with the help of 3D. The visualization of the building model over time through simulation of the building process is done by 4D while the estimation of the budget with a high level of detail is done by the help of 5D (Andia, 2014, p. 329).
Since, digitization of construction is changing the manner in which contractors, subcontractors and engineers approach building design, construction and operation, they will continue using it (Milton, 2011, p. 54).
Digitization of construction industries is helpful and a most people in the construction industry today recognize how digitization is affecting every activity in the construction industry (Whyte, 2014, p. 63). Digitization of the construction significantly reduce risks associated with construction and the following are benefits of digitization of construction.
- Electronic tendering is becoming standard such that calls for tender are already circulated electronically in public construction projects. Digitization has added advantage that electronic calls for tenders reduce cost while increasing efficiency.
- Digital procurement platforms save time and money since electronic procurement allows savings(Duncan, 2012, p. 543).
- Smart building site logistics such that digital technology in construction ensures that materials are delivered to the site in time and optimization on the capacity utilization of workers, as well as construction vehicles, is achieved as a result of smartly connected construction machinery(Felix, 2008, p. 208).
Digitization of construction industries is helpful and a large number of players in the construction industry today recognize how digitization is affecting every activity in the construction industry. Digitization offers players in the construction industry means of improving their productivity (Boothroyd, 2010)
Building Information Modelling in the Australian Construction Industry
There are certain digital gaps existing in the Australian construction industry and sometimes they may come as a result certain challenges hindering the digitization in the construction industry in Australia from operating fully and they include;
- The complexity of the project needs to be addressed since it creates a gap making it difficult for digitalizing construction in Australia to facilitate
- The period of adopting digitalize construction takes a long period of time thus there is need of looking into this to shorten the period of time taken thus enhancing construction process(Dunn, 2012, p. 127).
- The skilled workers needed to perform the construction operation to close the gap existing in the digitizing Australian construction industry.
There are certain ways in which the gap existing in digitization of construction can be tackled and these ways include;
- The use of rhumbix in construction field helps in modernizing operations in the building site, helping builders go paperless in the field and improving the way of measuring and managing labor productivity.
- Acquisition of data such that in a construction industry, there is a need of digitizing field data since it saves time as compared with manual data entry.
- Enhancing the quality of data and creation of a granular set of data increases the rate of construction.
Conclusion
There is need of implementing digitization in every construction work being taken since there are numerous benefits that will be realized for example; there will be introduction of new construction technologies that will enhance construction efficiency. Building Information Modelling (BIM) is also used by construction industry which is a set of technologies, procedures, and guidelines that together compose a new method of managing the building design and project data in a digital way throughout a building lifecycle There are certain improvements that are required when digitizing construction such a; Educating people on the need of importance of digitizing the construction and also ways in which the construction can be digitized to achieve a better construction results.
Design for manufacture and assembly simply refers to the creation of manufacturing approaches that are in a position of producing the desired product. This does not entail products of high quality but it also relies on creating the means to cost-effectively. This technique is simply a design approach that focuses on ease of manufacture and efficiency of assembly. The design for manufacture and assembly (DFMA) also assist in creating a series of components that can be placed together in a numerous manner thereby providing efficiency as well as diversity in product creation.
DFMA is a combination of two methodologies which include Design for Assembly (DFA) as well as Design for Manufacturing (DFM). The bringing together of both the methodologies enables the manufacturing and assembling of product to be done at a lower cost with the minimal cost of
The DFMA allows for improved or new products to be designed, produced and give to the consumers within a shorter period of time and this particular program assist in eliminating numerous revisions and changes in design that causes delay and increased cost in the program. Many construction industries in Australia are integrating the DFM and DFA practices via a design and manufacturing teamwork (Booker, 2013, p. 23). The DFA approach focuses on reduction and standardization of parts and assemblies and it aims at reducing the cost and time of assembly. In Australian construction industries, this particular method is valued during construction since it is geared towards the production of parts needed for construction within a short period of time.
Addressing the Skills Gap in the Digital Era
When this particular method is being used then there are certain activities that might be seen;
- The common boundary that permits dissimilar modules to fit together easily.
- The swapping, mixing and sharing of components to come up with definitely different products.
- A bus bar-type of modularity such that dissimilar modules fitting into a common structure(Warman, 2012, p. 56)
DFA technique in construction industry is very helpful and it will continue to be used since it allows
- It improves the project performance in terms of cost and efficiency.
- Enhances the local workforce.
- Narrowing the technological gaps.
As a result of employing this particular technique mentioned above in construction industry, contractors are assisted in identifying the period to carry out work offsite to put it into a lean factory environment thus leading to reduced cost of construction as well as tighter overall scheduling. Some of the benefits of this particular technique include;
Higher quality components. Most assembling of projects is done at a neat factory thus leading to a higher quality end product and this saves the cost of construction and also the period taken during construction is minimized.
Safety of worksite is enhanced. The safety of workers in the construction site is enhanced this is because prefabrication focus means fewer trades are needed onsite and are better illustrated and the working site is more predictable (Griffiths, 2009, p. 231).
More predictable installation. This particular technique also focusses in eliminating components since very many parts increase assembly problems.
Lower assembly cost. The labor required is less since fewer parts are used thus lowering the assembling cost (Whitney, 2014, p. 78).
Shorter assembly time. Standard assembly practices such as self-aligning parts and vertical assembly are utilized by DFMA thus shortening the assembly time. This technique also ensures that there is a smooth and rapid running of activities from design to the production phase.
Increased reliability. A chance of failure is minimized by the DFMA by lowering the number of parts being used.
The speed of construction increases. This is greatly achieved by reducing programme on site by using fabricated elements.
The design for manufacture and assembly assists in the identification, quantification, and elimination of waste or inefficiency in product assembly and manufacture. The principles of DFMA include;
- Minimization of components.
- Elimination of the required adjustments.
- Minimizing the use of flexible components such as cables.
- Design for ease of assembly, for example, using adhesive bonding instead of threaded fasteners such as nuts and bolts.
- Designing to ease fabrication.
The design for manufacture and assembly is used as a basis for the concurrent engineering studies to assist in the provision of guidance to the design team in simplifying the structure of the product thus reducing the cost of assembling as well as manufacturing cost. The use of this particular technique helps in eliminating inefficiency and also waste in a product design. There are various opportunities where this particular technique can be used for example automotive industry and white goods industry which include industries involved in home appliances such as cookers, machines for washing and refrigerators (Shafer, 2010, p. 18)
There are certain challenges hindering DFMA from being used by many industries and this may come as a result of; firstly; not all engineers have detailed information concerning major processes of defining the shape of the product thus they will try to design for manufacturing process of which they are familiar where cost implication is given lower priority thus causing DFMA paralysis and dysfunctional (Thompson, 2009, p. 137)
Further work on DFMA technique should include;
- Development of DFMA that is capable of minimizing cost of construction with a large gap.
- Developing DFMA that can be used by workers easily.
Conclusion
In order to obtain high quality components, shorter assembly time, lower cost of assembling and safety of the worksite, there is need of implementing design for manufacture and assembly to ensure a successful construction is achieved. There are certain improvements that needs to be done to ensure construction is done successfully and this include; promoting this particular technique to ensure that many construction industries are aware of it and find it is easy to apply in construction.
References
Booker, S. (2013). Manufacturing process selection. Informa.
Griffiths, B. (2009). Engineering drawing for manufacture. Media Participation.
Shafer, D. (2010). Successful assembly auttomation. Informa.
Thompson, R. (2009). Manufacturing processes for design professionals. OLMA Media group.
Warman, M. (2012). Design for manufacturing and assembly. Sanoma.
Whitney, D. (2014). Mechanical assemblies. Scholastic.
Chua, C. K. (2016). 3D printing and additive manufacturing. OLMA Media Group.
Duncan, I. (2012). Digitalized construction in Australian industries. China Publishing Company.
Dunn, N. (2012). Digital fabrication in architecture. Informa.
Felix, T. (2008). Global information technologies. Sanoma.
Milton, H. (2011). Metrication in building design, production, and construction. Wiley.
Whyte, A. (2014). Integrated design and cost management for civil engineers. HarperCollins.
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